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PASTOR  A  NT I)  OFFICIAL  BOARD 


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WALL  STREET  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH, 


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Thursday,  (Fast  Day)  August  4,  18(54. 


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BY 


REV.  R.  CURRAN,  M  D. 


I‘l  BUSHED  BY  THE  V  N  A  NIMBUS  R I  QUEST  OF  THE  CONGREGATION. 


LOUISVILLE,  KY., 

L.  A..  CIVILL,  PRINTER 

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PREACHED  BY  REQUEST  OF  TIIE 

PASTOR  AND  OFFICIAL  BOARD 


WALL  STREET  METHQ0EST  E.PESGQPAL  CHURCH, 
JEFFERSONVILLE,  IND., 
Thursday,  (Fast  Day)  August  4,  1864, 


BY 


BEV.  B.  CUBEATT,  M  D. 


PUBLISHED  B V  THE  UNANIMOUS  REQUEST  OF  THE  CONGREGATION. 


LOUISVILLE,  KY., 

L.  A..  CIVILL,  PRINTER. 

18  64. 


^ZC.Of-73 

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>*V_ 


- “Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble;  I  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou 

shalt  glorify  me.’: — Psalm?,  1,  15. 

“If  I  regard  iniquity"  in  my  heart,  the  Lord  will  not  hear  me.’’ — Psalms,  lxvi,  18. 

In  these  two  passages  we  have  suitable  and  appropriate 
instructions  for  the  present  times. 

The  circumstances  in  which  we  are  placed  demand  fast¬ 
ing,  penitence,  humiliation,  and  prayer — not  for  one  day 
only,  but  constant  and  unintermitting,  until  peaceful  an¬ 
swers  are  realized.  God  will  avenge  his  own  elect  who 
cry  unto  him  day  and  night,  and  make  his  name  glorious 
in  their  deliverance. 

The  command  is  imperative  :  “  Call  upon  me  in  the 
day  of  trouble."  The  promise  is  positive:  46 1  will  deliver 
thee,  and  thou  shalt  glorify  me." 

In  the  second  passage  we  have  the  conditions,  nega¬ 
tively  expressed,  upon  which  we  may  assuredly  count  on 
the  Divine  interposition  and  favor. 

Then,  while  we  join,  on  this  solemn  occasion,  this  vast 
circle  of  penitential  suppliants,  it  becomes  us  to  examine 
ourselves  and  see  whether  our  hearts  are  properly  affected; 
whether  we  possess  the  proper  moral  qualifications  to 
make  our  approaches  to  the  Throne  of  Grace  successfully; 
for  we  are  assured  if  we  regard  iniquity  in  our  hearts  the 
Lord  will  not  hear  us. 

This  day  has  been  set  apart  in  compliance  with  a  reso¬ 
lution  passed  by  the  Congress  of  the  United  States.  It 
comes  to  us  doubly  sanctioned,  having  both  legislative  and 


4 


executive  authority.  It  is  significant  of  a  tardy  recogni¬ 
tion,  in  that  body,  of  the  existence  of  a  God,  and  His  over¬ 
ruling  Providence  in  the  affairs  of  men. 

If  personal  humiliation,  prayer,  and  repentance,  on  the 
part  of  the  members  of  that  honorable  body  should  follow 
this  wise  and  timely  legislation,  it  would  be  a  hopeful 
sign,  and  would  inspire  the  nation  with  confidence  far 
exceeding  any  augmentation  of  our  army  and  navy. 

It  has  been  boldly  asserted  by  some,  including  ministers 
of  a  narrow  and  melancholly  turn  of  mind,  that  we  are 
not  a  Christian  nation.  All  the  forms  of  our  legislative, 
executive,  and  judicial  authorities  emphatically  negative 
this  shallow  assertion.  The  dates  of  our  documents  and 
every  act  under  them  assert  that  we  are  a  Christian  nation. 

If  we  are  not  a  Christian  nation,  what  are  we?  We 
are  not  Pagans  ;  we  are  not  Mahometans ;  we  are  not 
worshipers  of  Confucius;  we  know  nothing  about  the 
sacred  books  of  the  Hindoos  or  Chinese,  except  as  matters 
of  curiosity.  ^  I  f; 

We  know,  as  a  nation,  no  book  of  authority  in  faith, 
morals,  and  religion,  but  the  Bible. 

Our  laws  are  drawn  from  its  pages;  our  obligations  are 
measured  and  regulated  by  its  precepts;  our  forms  of 
worship  are  there  written  down,  and  all  our  hopes  of  a 
future  world  are  based  upon  its  promises. 

If  we  find  not  directions  there  for  our  safe  conduct  in 
all  the  affairs  of  life,  we  can  find  them  nowhere.  We 
have  no  other  authoritative  code  of  ethics  acknowledged 
by  all  classes,  profane  and  pious. 

The  Sacred  Name  of  the  Being  who  is  the  author  and 
theme  of  that  Book  is  invoked  by  all  classes,  His  mercy 
supplicated,  and  His  wrath  deprecated.  And  the  sacrifice 
of  His  Son  is  the  only  ground  of  hope  for  temporal  and 
eternal  salvation. 


5 


That  the  conduct  of  a  vast  number  amongst  us  is  un¬ 
christian,  may  be  safely  and  sorrowfully  admitted.  But 
the  hopes  of  the  good  for  the  reformation  and  elevation  of 
mankind  rest  alone  upon  the  Bible  and  its  Christianity. 
The  taith  of  the  Church  firmly  fixed,  gives  buoyancy  to 
this  hope,  which  never  has  and  never  will  waver. 

The  positive  assurance  that  God  will  hear  and  answer 
the  prayers  of  His  faithful  servants,  obviates  all  doubts  as 
to  the  duty  of  resorting  to  this  potent  means  in  times  of 
trouble. 

The  innumerable  instances  of  the  immediate  and  inti¬ 
mate  connection  between  faithful  and  earnest  prayer  and 
deliverance  from  great  and  pressing  dangers  are  well  cal¬ 
culated  to  stimulate  our  faith  and  earnest  supplications  at 
this,  and  at  all  times. 

Ho  Christian  nation  ever  encountered  a  severer  ordeal 
than  that  through  which  we  are  passing ;  none  ever  de¬ 
manded  more  urgently  the  union  of  moral  with  material 
power. 

We  are  walking  through  the  valley  and  shadow  ot 
death,  and  need  the  light  and  aid  of  Jehovah  to  guide  us. 

It  is  well  for  the  heart  of  the  nation,  in  this  hour  of  our 
great  trial,  to  turn  from  the  finite  to  the  Infinite,  for  help — 
from  impotent,  feeble  man,  to  the  Omnipotent  God. 

We  must,  at  all  events,  leave  to  his  wisdom  the  selection 
of  the  means  by  which  our  deliverance  must  come,  while 
we  act  a  prudent,  wise,  and  courageous  part,  giving  cheer¬ 
fully  that  material  aid,  which,  in  all  human  affairs,  is  so 
necessary. 

We  will  indulge  the  hope  that  this  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer  may  symbolize  returning  rest  to  the  nation.  We 
lean  not,  to-day,  on  the  sword,  but  upon  the  bosohl  of 

Jesus,  our  Advocate.  We  hear  not,  to-day,  the  sound  of 

^  *  • 

artillery,  but  the  voice  of  a  mighty  nation,  as  the  sound 


6 


of  many  waters — a  cry  going  up  to  Heaven  for  deliverance 
from  this  great  and  most  dire  of  scourges,  civil  war.  We 
pray  that  the  dark  pall  may  be  lifted  from  the  earth, 
drenched  with  the  blood  of  her  slain  children,  and  that 
peace,  prosperity,  and  safety  may  he  restored  again,  as  in 
the  days  of  the  past,  so  pleasant  to  memory. 

When  we  look  abroad  over  our  vast  country,  what  do 
we  see  ? 

We  see  extent  of  territory  and  resources  exceeding,  in 
the  aggregate,  those  in  the  possession  of  any  other  Chris¬ 
tian  nation  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Our  shores  are 
washed  by  vast  oceans  and  seas,  which  afford  to  every  re¬ 
gion  the  utmost  facilities  for  domestic  and  foreign  com¬ 
merce.  The  country  traversed  by  rivers,  broad,  deep  and 
long,  sweeping  through  fertile  plains,  teeming  with 
the  productions  of  all  climes;  intersected  everywhere  with 
artificial  improvements,  such  as  railroads  and  canals, 
bringing  the  wealth  of  every  section  to  common  centers 
of  trade,  from  which  it  may  be  distributed  throughout 
the  whole  world  ;  extensive  forests  of  choice  timber,  suffi¬ 
cient  for  the  construction  of  navies,  towns,  and  cities  in 
all  future  time;  mountains  full  of  gold,  and  silver,  and 
iron,  and  coal,  and  lead,  and  precious  stones,  fountains  of 
oil  bursting  spontaneously  from  the  earth;  and  a  soil  so 
fertile  that  the  work  of  culture  is  rather  a  pleasure  and  a 
pastime  than  toil  —  a  land  with  every  material  blessing 
blessed,  and  an  extent  of  territory  capable  of  sustaining 
twenty  times  the  population  that  live  upon  it.  Why 
should  we  not  be  a  happy  and  united  people  ?  Why 
should  war  desolate  the  land  and  fill  all  our  houses  with 
sorrow  and  mourning? 

We  have  sinned,  and  God  is  permitting  us  to  chastise 
ourselves.  We  are  self-scourged  as  no  nation  ever  was 
beforehand  we  shall  be  let  alone  till  the  cure  is  effected  or 


7 


sincere  repentance  secures  the  interposition  of  the  Divine 
hand.  On  this  solemn  Fast  Day  we  are  called  upon  to 
confess  both  our  individual  and  national  sins,  praying  for 
pardon  with  humility  and  faith,  that  we  may  be  healed. 

If  we  have  done  no  wrong,  this  day’s  work  is  a  solemn 
mockery.  If  we  have  done  wrong,  it  becomes  us,  as  a 
nation,  to  freely  confess  our  errors  and  pray  for  forgiveness. 

The  Divine  Administration  has  not  changed.  God 
punishes  men  and  nations,  and  he  pardons  men  and  na¬ 
tions  on  the  same  principle;  that  is,  confessing  and  for¬ 
saking.  “Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way  and  the  un¬ 
righteous  man  his  thoughts;  and  let  him  return  unto  the 
Lord  and  he  will  have  mercy  upon  him,  and  to  our  God 
for  he  will  abundantly  pardon.” 

Our  sins  are  manifold,  and  great  in  magnitude;  with 
more  than  any  other  nation  on  the  face  of  the  earth  to  be 
thankful  for,  we  have  been  the  most  ungrateful.  God 
took  our  ancestors  out  from  under  oppression,  and  led 
them  into  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  and  pro¬ 
tected  them,  and  made  them  to  dwell  in  safety  in  the  pres¬ 
ence  of  their  enemies.  This  goodly  heritage  they  left  to 
us,  improved  and  enlarged,  and  what  returns  have  we 
made,  as  a  nation  ?  AVe  may  boast  our  loyalty  to  the  civil 
government  under  which  we  live,  but  we  owe  a  higher 
loyalty  to  Jehovah,  in  which  we  have  been  sadly  deficient. 
Instead  of  being  subject  and  obedient  to  his  divine  com¬ 
mands  and  wholesome  counsels,  we  have  been  the  slaves 
of  evil  passions  and  sinful  habits. 

It  would  be  impossible  in  the  bounds  of  one  discourse 
to  even  touch  upon  all  the  sins  that  have  injured  and  de¬ 
graded  us  as  a  nation. 

Amongst  those  of  a  prominent  character  may  be  men¬ 
tioned  as  a  fruitful  source  of  many  evils  multiplied  and 
complicated,  covetousness,  or  the  greed  of  gain.  There  is 


8 


no  place  where  that  maxim,  “the  love  of  money  is  the 
root  of  all  evil,”  is  more  fully  verified  than  here. 

In  the  universal  rush  after  gain  and  unbounded  wealth, 
all  laws,  human  and  divine,  are  ignored  and  set  aside. 
The  fatherless  and  the  widows — the  ignorant  and  the  help¬ 
less,  are  oppressed  and  defrauded  to  till  the  bloated  coffers 
of  the  rich  and  grasping,  until  the  cry  of  the  oppressed 
has  gone  up  into  Heaven  and  entered  the  ears  of  our  com¬ 
mon  Father,  demanding  chastisement  at  His  hand. 

Again  :  The  indulgence  in  angry  passions  and  unre¬ 
strained  and  unbridled  profanity  are  worthy  of  our  notice 
on  this  occasion. 

These  sins  abound  amongst  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor, 
from  the  humblest  laborer  up  to  the  honorable  Senator, 
until  the  land  mourns  because  of  swearing. 

From  the  manner  in  which  the  name  of  the  Supreme 
Being  is  used,  we  might  be  led  to  suppose  that  they  regard 
him  as  a  being  in  league  with  the  Devil  to  do  all  manner 
of  mischief.  They  call  upon  him  for  the  exercise  of 
vengeful  power  upon  all  men  and  all  things  standing  in 
their  way,  as  if  they  desired  to  make  him  an  ally  in  the 
gratification  of  their  vindictive  passions. 

The  mercy  they  so  much  need  for  themselves  they  never 
crave  at  all. 

That  sacred  Name,  that  is  above  all  other  names,  they 
bandy  about  as  a  familiar 

"Will  God  keep  silent  forever  in  the  face  of  such  flagrant 
insults?  lie  suffers  long,  but  He  will  not  keep  silent  for¬ 
ever. 

“  Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God 
in  vain,”  is  a  command  as  imperiously  binding  upon  the 
Major  General  in  the  field  as  upon  the  lower  officers  and 
humblest  private — upon  the  President  in  the  White  House 
as  upon  the  humblest  citizen  in  his  cabin. 


by-word. 


9 


The  disgraceful,  angry  broils  witnessed  often  in  our 
halls  of  legislation  speak  volumes. 

Those  men  are  representatives  of  the  people  in  more 
senses  than  one. 

They  carry  the  habits  and  practices  of  private  life  with 
them  into  the  councils  of  the  nation,  and  shamelessly  pa¬ 
rade  their  vulgar  habits  and  ungoverned  tempers  before 
the  world.  And  the  frequency  of  the  return  of  such  men, 
by  the  suffrages  of  their  constituencies,  to  the  same  posi¬ 
tions  where  they  had  disgraced  themselves  in  the  sight  of 
all  moral  men,  shows  plainly  the  kind  of  morals  pervading 
that  constituency.  The  maxim  is  universally  admitted, 
that  “what  we  do  by  another  we  do  ourselves,”  The  acts 
of  violence  and  wickedness  we  approve  in  our  representa¬ 
tives  we  assume,  with  all  their  consequences. 

When  men  in  high  places  can  enact  the  part  of  ruffian 
and  blackguard  unrebuked,  we  must  not  look  for  morality 
or  good  order  amongst  the  communities  which  they  rep¬ 
resent. 

The  morals  seen  in  the  political  assemblies  and  amongst 
the  representatives  of  the  people  in  this  country,  are  not 
calculated  to  give  to  a  looker-on  a  high  opinion  of  us  as 
a  nation. 

And  yet  these  men  read  us  many  homilies  as  to  the  du¬ 
ties  of  ministers  and  churches.  Indeed,  they  seem  to  be 
greatly  concerned  about  the  purity  of  the  Church.  The 
most  remote  allusion  to  political  matters  from  the  pulpit, 
or  in  religious  assemblies,  shocks  their  sensibilities  and 
drives  them  from  the  house  of  God.  They  cannot  toler¬ 
ate  even  a  prayer  offered  up  for  the  President  of  the  Uni¬ 
ted  States,  if  he  do  not  belong  to  their  party.  We  do  not 
choose  to  submit  to  such  arbitrary  dictation. 

If  governments  are  of  divine  origin  and  divine  sanction, 
as  we  all  claim,  and  if  designed  for  the  protection  of  the 


10 


good  and  punishment  of  evil  doers,  then  all  men ,  under 
God,  are  concerned  in  maintaining  their  purity  and  just 
and  equitable  administration. 

But  we  are  benevolently  warned  off  by  a  certain  class 
of  politicians,  and  told  that  churches  and  ministers  should 
not  “dabble  in  the  dirty  pool  of  politics.”  This  is  a 
strange  admission,  and  we  are  sorry  to  hear  it.  It  must 
be  a  “  dirty  pool,”  for  they  assert  it,  and  they  are  in  it, 
and  ought  to  know.  If  this  is  so,  it  ought  not  to  be  so — 
if  it  is  so,  somebody  has  done  a  great  injury— a  great 
wrong,  to  politics.  There  is  certainly  nothing  intrinsically 
dirty  in  a  good  government  justly  administered,  and  noth¬ 
ing  contaminating  in  giving  it  a  proper  support.  We  had 
always  thought  politics  a  great  science,  and  perfectly  con¬ 
sistent  with  the  most  elevated  morality.  Moses,  the  great 
Jewish  lawgiver,  was  the  greatest  politician  that  ever 
lived  upon  the  earth,  and  yet  the  meekest  and  purest  of 
men.  If  there  is  anything  contaminating  in  American 
politics,  it  has  been  the  fault  of  wicked  and  corrupt  poli- 
ticians. 

Dr.  Webster  defines  politics,  “  The  science  of  govern¬ 
ment  ;  that  part  of  ethics  which  consists  in  the  regulation 
and  government  of  a  nation,  or  state,  for  the  preservation 
of  its  safety,  peace,  and  prosperity;  comprising  the  de¬ 
fense  of  its  existence  and  rights  against  foreign  control  or 
conquest,  the  augmentation  of  its  strength  and  resources, 
and  the  protection  of  its  citizens  in  their  rights,  with  the 
preservation  and  improvement  of  their  morals .  This  latter 
part  certainly  does  not  come  within  the  province  of  brawl¬ 
ing  politicians. 

We  must  perceive  that  this  is  a  subject  of  vast  extent 
and  importance,  and  concerns  every  individual  in  civil 
society,  and  he  that  is  indifferent  to  the  subject  lacks  the 
qualities  of  a  good  citizen ;  there  is  nothing  either  unclean 


11 


or  uncivil  in  it.  It  is  undoubtedly  the  imperative  duty  of 
all  Christians,  including  Christian  ministers,  to  consult 
about  their  interests,  in  this,  as  in  other  matters,  and  to 
give  their  influence  in  support  of  the  right. 

Are  the  dearest  interests  we  have  in  life  safer  in  the 
hands  of  Godless  politicians  than  in  the  hands  of  pure  and 
God-fearing  men  ? 

The  unanimity  of  the  evangelical  protestant  churches 
in  the  loyal  States  in  support  of  the  Government  in  its 
struggles  for  existence,  is  a  gratifying  fact — and  yet  it  may 
have  been  the  cause  of  this  clamor  in  certain  quarters  for 
the  disfranchisement  of  the  churches. 

Is  it  not  natural  that  conscientious  and  thoughtful  men 
uninfluenced  by  party  prejudice  should  agree  here ;  and 
have  they  not  a  right,  yea,  is  it  not  their  duty,  to  declare 
their  agreement  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  it  felt  ? 

And  is  it  not  probable  that  sober,  thoughtful  men,  view¬ 
ing  the  whole  ground  from  a  safe  stand-point,  will  be  as 
likely  to  arrive  at  correct  conclusions  as  any  other  class 
of  men? 

Disfranchise  forty  thousand  ministers  and  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  Christians  besides,  the  best  men  in  the  na¬ 
tion,  and  strangle  their  influence  by  taking  away  from 
them  the  right  to  discuss  political  questions;  and  for  what? 
To  allow  our  legislative  halls  still  to  be  filled  with  men 
who  ignore  the  existence  of  a  Supreme  Being  and  spurn 
the  obligations  of  the  Christian  religion. 

Good  men,  in  this  Christian  land,  may  still  be  in  the 
minority,  yet  it  is  their  duty  to  labor  on  for  the  honor  of 
God  and  the  redemption  of  the  nation  from  vice  and  mis¬ 
rule  ;  for  our  past  apathy  and  negligence  we  are  punished 
to-day.  When  the  worst  examples  are  set  by  those  in 
high  places,  we  may  expect  sin  to  abound  amongst  the 
masses. 


12 


The  fruitful  source  of  many — of  most,  of  the  prevailing 
vices  amongst  us  is  Sabbath  desecration,  and  this  violation 
of  the  Divine  law  is  sanctioned  by  men  filling  the  highest 
stations  in  the  country,  to  such  an  extent  that  its  obliga¬ 
tion  has  almost  passed  away  from  the  minds  of  the  masses. 
A  nation  without  a  Sabbath  is  a  nation  accursed. 

Turn  to  the  proceedings  of  the  last  session  of  our  na¬ 
tional  Congress,  and  see  how  it  is  regarded  there.  Toward 
the  close  of  the  session  a  bill  was  reported  in  the  lower 
House,  and  passed,  requiring  the  corporation  to  run  their 
street-cars  on  the  Sabbath  day.  Afterward,  Mr.  Price,  of 
Iowa,  made  an  effort  for  the  repeal  of  the  obnoxious  fea¬ 
ture  of  the  bill.  1  " 

He  offered  the  following : 


Whereas,  It  is,  and  ever  has  been,  admitted,  since  the  formation  of  our 
Government,  that  the  prosperity  of  this  nation  depended  upon  and  was 
attributable  to  our  recognition  and  observance  of  the  laws  of  God,  and  the 
consequent  protection  of  an  All-wise  Providence;  and  whereas,  the  recent  act 
of  Congress  compelling  the  railroad  company  to  run  their  street-cars  in  this 
city  on  the  Sabbath  day,  is  in  in  direct  contravention  of  the  divine  law,  and 
inconsistent  with  our  professions  as  a  Christian  nation  ;  therefore, 

Resolved ,  That  the  Judiciary  Committee  be  instructed  to  report  a  bill 
repealing  the  law  compelling  the  running  the  cars  in  the  streets  in  this  city 
on  the  Sabbath  day. 

This  noble  Christian  protest  against  the  forced  violation 
of  the  Sabbath  at  the  capital  of  the  nation,  on  motion  of 
Mr.  Cox,  of  Ohio,  was  laid  on  the  table  by  a  vote  of  60  to 
35 ;  thus  showing  that  nearly  two  thirds  of  the  members 
of  Congress  voting,  believe  in  no  Sabbath. 

In  the  Senate,  Mr.  Willey  moved  to  strike  out  that  part 
of  the  bill  relating  to  the  running  of  the  cars  on  the  Sab¬ 
bath  day,  and  defended  his  motion  in  a  speech  of  great 
beauty  and  strength ;  #  speech  that  disturbed  the  nerves 
of  some  of  our  sensitive  politicians ;  it  looked  like  mixing 
up  religion  with  politics,  and  nothing  shocks  them  so 
much  as  this.  They  tremble  at  the  consequences  that 


13 


might  result  to  them  from  a  public  recognition  of  the  Sab¬ 
bath. 

Mr.  Grimes,  of  Iowa,  took  grounds  opposite  to  Mr. 
Willey.  He  ventured  the  opinion  that  God  could  be  wor¬ 
shiped  as  well  by  a  trip  on  the  Sunday  cars  out  to  the 
green  trees  and  green  fields,  as  in  the  hot  city  in  the 
churches.  Thus  Mr.  Grimes  joined  issue,  not  with  Mr. 
Willey,  but  with  God  Almighty,  with  regard  to  keeping 
holy  the  Sabbath  day.  Mr.  Johnson,  of  Maryland,  took 
pretty  much  the  same  ground. 

Mr.  Hale,  of  Hew  Hampshire,  took  sides  with  the  Sab¬ 
bath  and  with  Mr.  Willey,  declaring  that  so  far  as  he  was 
concerned,  or  his  vote,  Hew  England  should  not  appear 
before  the  country  in  the  light  of  forcing  Sabbath  dese¬ 
cration  on  the  City  of  Washington.  “Mr.  Hale  congratu¬ 
lated  Mr.  Willey  on  his  speech,  and  said,  that  it  was  the 
first  speech  he  had  ever  heard  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate, 
in  which  the  law  of  God  and  the  obligations  of  Christian 
morality  were  openly,  boldly,  and  without  equivocation 
or  apology  recognized,  as  binding  upon  a  man  in  his  legis¬ 
lative  capacity.” 

Here  is  the  testimony  of  an  old  Senator,  of  twenty 
years  standing  in  the  Senate — a  candid  confession,  that 
no  obligations  of  religion  or  worship  are  recognized  by 
the  majority  of  the  members  of  the  highest  legislative 
body  in  the  land. 

Hear  it,  ye  simple-hearted  Christians,  and  judge  whether 
our  servants  in  high  places  do  not  need  the  prayers  of  the 
faithful — and  something  more . 

These  violations  of  the  commands  of  Jehovah  have  be¬ 
come  so  common  and  general  that  the  national  conscience 
is  almost  put  to  rest. 

This  disregard  of  the  Sabbath  is  seen  in  the  transaction 
of  public  business ;  large  amounts  of  labor  in  the  removal 


14 


of  public  stores  and  other  kinds  of  work,  which  could  be 
done  better  and  at  less  expense  by  the  improvement  of 
secular  days,  are  reserved  for  the  Sabbath ;  the  rattle  of 
wagons  and  the  shouting  of  teamsters  and  other  employees 
disturbing  the  quiet  of  the  holy  Sabbath  day,  and  giving 
official  sanction  for  its  violation. 

We  may  sleep  over  these  abuses,  but  God  does  not. 
His  command  to  keep  holy  the  Sabbath  day  is  without 
conditions ;  it  is  absolute,  and  the  obligation  has  never 
been  lessened  or  modified. 

Though  He  suffer  long,  yet  His  hand  will  take  hold  on 
vengeance  at  last,  and  He  will  punish  until  He  has  made 
an  end ;  and  our  complicity  in  these  offenses,  by  our  pas¬ 
sive  submission,  is  bringing  the  punishment  to  our  hearts 
and  houses. 

Oue  sin  has  induced  others  until  the  whole  head  is  sick 
and  the  whole  heart  is  faint. 

“The  permanent  evils  to  which  mankind  is  subject  are 
usually  produced  by  the  vehement  or  increasing  efforts  of 
men.  But  there  is  one  calamity  which  penetrated  fur¬ 
tively  into  the  world,  and  which  was,  at  first,  scarcely  dis¬ 
tinguishable  amid  the  ordinary  abuses  of  power. 

“  Jt  originated  with  an  individual  whose  name  history 
has  not  preserved.  It  was  wafted  like  some  accursed 
germ  upon  a  portion  of  our  soil,  but  it  afterward  nurtured 
itself,  grew  without  effort,  and  spread,  naturally,  with  the 
society  to  which  it  belonged. 

“  I  need  scarcely  add  that  this  calamity  is  Slavery. 

“  Christianity  suppressed  slavery,  but  the  Christians  of 
the  sixteenth  century  re-established  it,  as  an  exception, 
indeed,  to  their  social  system,  and  restricted  to  one  of  the 
races  of  mankin  . 

“But  the  wound  thus  inflicted  upon  humanity,  though 
less  extensive,  was  far  more  difficult  of  cure.”  So  truly 
writes  the  impartial  and  philosophic  Be  Toequeville. 


15 


This  institution  in  the  United  States  gathered  strength 
by  toleration  and  age,  until  its  insolent  demands  called 
for  remonstrance  and  protest,  from  the  friends  of  freedom 
in  this  and  all  other  Christian  lands. 

We  were  content  to  let  the  South  enjoy  the  blessings 
and  responsibilities  of  Slavery  undisturbed.  But  this  did 
not  satisfy;  it  demanded  a  nationality  of  character  and 
support,  or  failing  to  secure  this  it  wmuld  ruin  the  govern¬ 
ment  by  which  it  had  liitherto  been  tolerated.  We  had 
viewed  the  institution,  up  to  this  time,  as  through  a  glass 
darkly--^  and  distance  lent  enchantment  to  the  view 
but  now  brought  face  to  face,  we  see  it  in  all  its  magni¬ 
tude  of  horrors  and  detail  of  abominations. 

We  had  seen  indeed,  in  its  representatives  its  haughty 
bearing  and  impatience  of  contradiction  and  restraint.  All 
legislation,  on  the  subject  of  Slavery,  that  did  not  look  to 
its  largest  license  and  protection  was  considered  an  insult 
to  the  Southern  people,  and  the  most  moderate  measures, 
that  might  be  proposed,  looking  toward  the  final  emanci¬ 
pation  of  the  colored  race  was  met  with  opposition  bor¬ 
dering  on  insanity.  This  was  manifest  on  many  occa¬ 
sions,  and  was  a  subject  of  deep  sorrow  to  moderate  men 
on  all  sides. 

In  illustration  of  this  temper  I  will  here  allude  to  an 
incident  fresh  in  all  our  memories.  When  the  sturdy 
Massachusetts  Senator,  Charles  Sumner,  a  little  radical, 
but  representing  the  views  of  his  constituency,  standing 
in  his  place  in  the  Senate  Chamber,  where  he  had  a  right 
to  be  heard  respectfully,  in  the  course  of  his  remarks  de¬ 
nounced  some  of  the  wrongs  of  Slavery;  because  the 
man  was  strong,  true,  and  thoroughly  honest,  and  wielded 
a  wide  influence,  his  words  entered  the  hearts  of  the  vo- 
teries  of  Slavery  like  burning  coals  and  produced  corres- 


f 


ponding  effects  in  that  combustible  magazine.  The  ex¬ 
plosion  was  terrific. 

Forty  years  earlier,  the  South,  and  especially  South 
Carolina,  would  have  found  a  champion  with  brains  and 
logic  to  meet  the  accomplished  debater  upon  his  own 
ground.  But  the  legitimate  effect  of  Slavery  is  to  pro¬ 
duce  degeneraey  and  deterioration.  Chivalry  had  fallen  to 
a  lower  arena,  it  had  sunk  from  the  academy  into  the 
ring ;  vengeance  must  be  sought  and  passion  gratified,  in 
keeping  with  the  depreciated  standard  of  morals.  A 
willing,  would-be  assassin,  was  found  in  the  person  of  a 
member  of  Congress  from  South  Carolina,  who,  entering 
the  Senate  Chamber,  weapon  in  hand,  attacked  the  de¬ 
fenceless  Senator  in  his  place,  and  had  the  strength  of  his 
arm  been  equal  to  the  strength  of  his  will,  he  would  have 
murdered  him  there  in  the  presence  of  his  honorable  as¬ 
sociates. 

This  incident  illustrates  truly  the  spirit  of  Slavery  and 
the  spirit  of  this  rebellion. 

The  institution  has  the  same  effect  every  where,  it 
makes  men  tyranical,  revengeful,  and  cruel.  lie  who  is 
wedded  to  it  may  appear  polite  and  courteous,  but  there 
is  beneath  this  their  casing  a  concealed  volcano.  Ap¬ 
proach  the  votary  of  Slavery  with  proper  gentleness,  and 
you  may  reprove  him  for  his  sinful  habits — such  as  pro¬ 
fanity,  Sabbath  breaking,  gambling,  drunkenness,  &c., 
and  he  may  take  it  kindly — but  touch  his  darling  sin 
Slavery  and  his  heart  is  at  once  set  on  fire  of  hell;  he  will 
shoot,  hang,  burn,  or  destroy  you  in  any  other  way  pos¬ 
sible,  his  fury  can  only  be  appeased  with  blood ;  and  all 
who  defend  the  institution  become  more  or  less  tinged 
with  the  same  cruel  spirit.  This  institution,  which  is  the 
cause  of  this  desolating  civil  war,  must  end  before  perma¬ 
nent  peace  can  be  restored.  This  is  the  fiat  of  God  and 


17 


the  purpose  of  this  great  nation.  The  conscience  of  the 
nation  once  aroused,  recognizing  the  sin  and  blighting  ef¬ 
fects  of  human  Slavery,  can  never  again  be  quieted  and 
reconciled  to  its  perpetuation. 

From  the  time  of  the  establishment  of  the  Government 
of  the  United  States,  and  the  adoption  of  the  Federal 
Constitution,  granting  to  the  accursed  slave  trade,  “  the 
sum  of  all  villianies  ”  a  continued  probation  of  twenty 
years,  the  National  conscience  has  never  been  at  rest.  The 
enormity  of  the  transaction,  glossed  over  as  it  might  be, 
under  the  sanction  of  a  Government  which  had  just  de¬ 
clared  all  men  born  free  and  equal,  and  possessing  certain 
inalianable  rights,  such  as  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of 
happiness,  startled  and  shocked  all  men  except  those  who 
were  to  be  partners  in  the  nefarious  traffic. 

That  state  of  unrest  has  been  manifest  in  various  ways 
and  in  different  sections  and  individuals  differently.  In 
the  extreme  South  it  was  seen  producing  jealousy,  and 
wincing  at  the  very  name  of  the  wrong,  and  exciting  the 
most  vindictive  resistence  to  all  interference.  In  the  bor¬ 
der  States  a  more  moderate  spirit  was  manifest.  Here 
the  sin  and  evils  of  Slavery  were  acknowledged  by  many, 
and  consequently  the  condition  of  the  slave  was  ame¬ 
liorated.  But  the  profits  of  raising  slaves  for  the  domes¬ 
tic  slave  markets  keep  the  troubled  consciences  of  many 
comparatively  slumbering.  And  the  evil  went  on  accum¬ 
ulating  a  weight  of  National  sin,  for  which  we  are  suffer¬ 
ing  the  penalties  this  day.  God  visits  the  sins  of  the 
father  on  their  children  unto  the  third  and  fourth  gener¬ 
ation. 

Noble  and  numeruus  instances  there  were  all  along, 
bearing  testimony  against  human  bondage. 

Washington,  the  father  of  his  country,  was  a  model  in 
all  things.  He  was  a  slaveholder,  not  of  choice,  but  by  in- 


18 


keritance.  But  he  would  not  venture  to  appear  before 
that  great  white  throne  and  the  inexorable  Judge  as  a 
slaveholder;  hence  that  remarkable  passage  in  his  las 
will  setting  all  his  negroes  free. 

The  proud  and  sensitive  “John  Randolph,  of  Roan¬ 
oke,”  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life  sought  to  sooth  his 
remorseful  spirit  by  placing  his  large  family  of  slaves  in 
circumstances  of  freedom  and  independence  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  lash  of  the  master  or  overseer.  Such  noble 
examples  backed  by  the  influence  of  religious  teachings 
have  worked  out  the  freedom  of  thousands  of  slaves. 

I  witnessed  an  incident  when  a  child  which  made  a 
lasting  impression  upon  my  mind.  I  saw  a  delicate  and 
sensitive  Christian  woman  living  in  Central  Pennsylvania, 
receive  a  message  from  her  lawyer  in  the  State  of  Mary¬ 
land,  informing  her  that  by  the  death  of  a  near  relative, 
she  had  become  heir  to  a  certain  amount  of  property,  in¬ 
cluding  some  negro  slaves.  The  message  affected  her  like 
a  shock  of  electricity.  The  responsibility  was  to  her  one 
of  fearful  magnitude.  She  had  been  raised  under  the 
strongest  pro-slavery  influences.  But  her  conscience  de¬ 
cided  at  once,  that  whatever  others  might  do,  she  could 
not  be  a  slaveholder  and  a  Christian  at  the  same  time — 
to  sell  them  never  entered  into  her  thoughts.  Under  her 
strong  convictions  of  duty  she  mounted  her  horse,  and, 
unattended,  traversed  the  rugged  paths  across  the  moun¬ 
tains,  no  small  task  fifty  years  ago,  to  the  city  of  Balti¬ 
more,  that  she  might  with  her  own  hand  loosen  the  bonds 
of  these  helpless  and  down -trodden  children  of  nature, 
and  provide  for  their  comfortable  settlement  out  of  the 
ample  means  their  labor  had  assisted  in  accumulating. 

Under  the  benign  influence  of  Christianity  and  such 
benevolent  examples,  Maryland  has  gone  on  in  the  good 
work,  so  that  at  the  beginning  of  this  wicked  rebellion 


19 


she  numbered  eighty-three  thousand  free  people  of  color, 
and  only  eighty-seven  thousand  slaves,  and  by  her  late 
Constitutional  Convention  she  has  changed  her  organic 
law  so  as  to  wipe  forever  the  foul  blot  of  slavery  from 
her  escutcheon. 

The  various  representative  bodies  of  the  Christian 
Churches  in  the  loyal  States,  which  held  their  sessions 
during  the  present  year,  have  taken  a  long  step  in  ad¬ 
vance  upon  this  subject. 

The  23d  day  of  May,  1864,  will  be  a  memorable  day  in 
the  ecclesiastecal  history  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  On  that  day,  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote  of  the 
General  Conference,  slaveholding  was  declared  a  crime 
incompatible  with  membership  in  her  communion. 

For  scores  of  years  the  church  has  been  asking  the 
question,  “  What  shall  be  done  for  the  extirpation  of  the 
evil  of  Slavery  ?”  The  act  of  extirpation  has,  so  far  as 
this  church  is  concerned,  set  that  question  at  rest  forever. 
Other  leading  denominations  have  followed  in  the  same 
direction,  until  the  voices  from  the  churches  throughout 
the  land  are  heard,  in  concert,  testifying  against  Slavery 
and  all  its  train  of  abuses. 

The  action  of  these  great  bodies  has  gladdened  the 
hearts  and  strengthened  the  faith  of  millions  of  good  and 
loyal  men,  who  to-day  unite  their 'prayers  for  the  preser¬ 
vation  of  the  Union  and  the  establishment  ot  universal 

freedom. 

We  have  been  in  the  habit  of  giving  to  Slavery  the 
benefit  of  arguments  based  on  or  deduced  from  false 
premises.  Some  with  a  show  of  benevolence  tell  us  that 
the  poor  negroes,  if  freed,  cannot  take  care  ot  themselves, 
and  must  starve  or  relapse  into  barbarism.  Look  at 
the  condition  of  the  eighty- three  thousand  tree  negroes 
in  Maryland,  go  into  their  churches,  look  at  them  in  their 


20 


holliday  dress  engaged  in  their  devotions;  listen  to  their 
preachers,  and  then  go  to  the  homes  of  the  average  of 
them  and  compare  their  condition  with  those  still  in  Sla¬ 
very,  who  are  living  in  their  quarters,  and  see  whether 
they  have  deteriorated.  You  will  find  that  under  all 
their  disadvantages  they  have  advanced.  Many  of  them 
we  admit  do  badly  enough,  but  not  any  worse  than  some 
white  people  amongst  us.  We  find  some  families  liv¬ 
ing  in  the  most  squalid  poverty  and  ignorance  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  refined  communities,  and  they  go  on 
in  that  way  from  generation  to  generation  without  mak¬ 
ing  the  least  effort  to  rise  out  of  their  degradation.  But 
no  one  on  this  account  proposes  to  reduce  them  into  Sla¬ 
very  in  order  to  better  their  condition. 

To  intimate  that  the  negro  cannot  take  care  of  himself 
is  a  reflection  upon  his  Maker.  The  smallest  insect  that 
floats  upon  the  breeze;  the  little  bird  that  twitters  in  the 
bush,  with  a  brain  not  bigger  than  a  mustard  seed;  the 
meanest  reptile  that  crawls  upon  the  earth;  even  the 
helpless  looking  worm  that  wriggles  in  the  dust,  knows 
how  to  take  care  of  itself.  And  shall  not  man,  endowed 
with  reason,  know  how  to  take  care  of  himself? 

No !  the  true  question  pertains  to  the  master.  How 
will  he  take  care  of  himself  ?  He  who  has  been  all  his  life 
dependent  on  the  labor  of  others  for  his  support,  how 
will  he  change  his  habits  when  he  is  required  to  take  care 
of  himself?  The  slave  has  taken  care  of  himself  and  his 
master  hitherto,  but  when  this  forced  partnership  ends  by 
the  freedom  of  the  slave,  the  master  finds  himself  far  the 
most  helpless  of  the  two,  and  here  is  where  the  shoe 
pinches ;  he  has  paid  his  money  for  his  chattle  as  he  calls 
his  dark  skinned  brother,  bought  him  soul  and  body  to 
take  oft  his  hands  what  his  Maker  required  him  to  do  for 
himself,  and  his  disappointment  is  grievous  when  that 


21 


brother  resumes  his  birthright.  Oh,  Christian !  Oh, 
American ! 

“Canst  thou,  and  honored  with  a  Christian  name, 

Buy  what  is  woman  born  and  feel  no  shame  ? 

Trade  in  the  blood  of  innocence,  and  plead 
Expedience  as  a  warrant  for  the  deed  ? 

So  may  the  wolf,  whom  famine  has  made  bold, 

To  quit  the  forest  and  invade  the  fold ; 

So  may  the  ruffian,  who  with  ghostly  glide, 

Dagger  in  hand,  steal  close  to  your  bed-side. 

Not  he,  but  his  emergency  forced  the  door, 

He  found  it  inconvenient  to  be  poor.” 

Every  argument  for  retaining  the  African  in  Slavery  is 
equally  without  support. 

But  here  our  trouble  hinges.  A  part  of  the  Southern 
people  have  banded  together  and  inaugurated  a  rebellion 
against  their  lawful  Government,  with  the  purpose  of 
destroying  it  and  founding  a  Confederacy  resting  on  hu¬ 
man  Slavery  as  its  chief  corner-stone. 

If  God  is  angry  with  us  and  intends  to  abandon  us  and 
give  us  over  to  utter  ruin,  they  may  succeed.  But  if  he 
intends  that  this  great  country  and  nation  shall  remain  as 
an  asylum  for  the  oppressed  of  all  nations,  and  the  home 
of  freedom,  prosperity,  and  intelligence ;  he  will  lead  us 
through  these  fiery  trials  to  a  happy  issue  out  of  them 
all ;  will  rebuke  the  insolent  disturbers  of  peace  and  or¬ 
der,  and  re-establish  us  on  a  surer  foundation.  To  him 
let  us  look  for  guidance  and  support — humbly  confessing 
our  sins  and  repenting  of  our  misdoings.  And  if  we  are 
loyal  to  our  Government,  we  will  constantly  commend 
it  in  our  prayers  to  his  divine  clemency  and  guidance. 

We  do  not  look  for  deliverance  by  special  miracle,  we 
must  expect  it  to  come  through  ordinary  instrumentali¬ 
ties  ;  by  the  constitutional  governing  powers  of  the  na¬ 
tion,  and  such  means  as  they  in  their  wisdom  may  select 
and  adopt. 


22 


Hence,  when  we  make  our  supplications  at  a  throne  of 
grace,  we  should  remember  the  President  and  his  con¬ 
stitutional  advisors,  the  commanding  Generals  and  other 
officers,  the  soldiers  and  attendents  on  the  military  ser¬ 
vice  ;  our  navy  and  naval  commanders,  officers,  sailors, 
and  marines ;  the  sanitary  agents,  surgeons,  and  chaplains; 
the  sick  and  wrounded  in  our  hospitals  ;  the  widows  and 
children  of  our  slain  soldiers,  and  the  families  of  those 
still  in  the  field.  W e  should  also  remember  the  loyal 
people  in  the  Southern  States  who  have  suffered  so  much 
and  are  still  suffering  for  the  cause  of  the  Union,  and  the 
poor  slaves  who  are  passing  through  a  baptism  of  blood 
to  their  freedom ;  and  we  should  not  forget  the  poor,  ig¬ 
norant,  and  misguided  men  who  are  forced  or  led  into 
the  rebellion  by  wicked  and  reckless  leaders.  And  let  us 
pray  earnestly  that  the  hearts  of  those  wicked  men  may 
be  changed,  and  that  they  may  be  led  back  into  the  path 
of  duty  and  willing  allegience  to  their  lawful  Govern¬ 
ment. 

“Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble  and  I  will  deliver 
thee.”  The  promise  here  made,  God  will  fulfill  if  we  do 
our  part  as  required.  Deliverance  may  not  come  just 
in  the  way  we  desired  or  expected,  but  as  sure  as  God 
rules  in  heaven  and  amongst  men  it  will  come .  He  is  not 
indifferent  to  this  great  struggle,  he  has  a  great  design  in 
permitting  it.  But  he  will  exact  the  conditions ;  his  hand 
and  government  must  be  recognized  and  his  justice  vin¬ 
dicated.  We  must  bow  in  humble  submission  to  his  will 
and  ask  for  mercy,  renouncing  our  sins.  As  j  ustice  and 
judgment  are  the  habitation  of  his  throne,  we  must  seek 
to  conform  ourselves  to  their  requirements,  remembering 
that  if  we  regard  inquity  in  our  hearts,  the  Lord  will  not 
hear  us. 

May  the  prayers  of  his  humble  and  faithful  children, 


23 


both  North  and  South,  be  so  offered  and  presented  before 
the  throne  this  day,  as  to  meet  the  Divine  approbation, 
and  bring  answers  of  peace  to  an  afflicted  nation.  Amen. 


